1. Conduct a requirements analysis

The first step in automating your fund document production is outlining what you want your documents to look like and what components they should include. Consider your company’s branding and make sure your document template design is in line with this.

2. Data decisions

Complete, error free data is the bedrock of a high-quality fund document, which is why you need to make a few crucial data decisions before starting to automate your document production. Most importantly you need to decide how, and in what format you will feed your data into the system. For example, will you use an API or will you manually be uploading csv files?

3. Follow an iterative development process

Once you’re clear on basic design and branding and data provision you can start the component development process. The best way to go about this is to use an iterative approach – break everything down into the lowest common denominator. This means you’ll start by designing individual components for your fund documents (like a performance chart) and build the documents out from there.

4. Get feedback and adapt

While you’re designing individual components, it’s important to get continuous feedback from all the relevant stakeholders and adapt your designs based on their input. Also keep testing any component you develop to ensure it performs as expected. Follow this cycle of design, test and signoff until you have all the full document templates you need.

5. Configure your production workflow

Once you have your templates loaded onto your document automation system you are ready to start producing your fund documents in bulk. However, remember to set up your production workflows in such a way that document approvals happen at the correct points in time and without disrupting the process.

6. Set up document distribution channels

Once your fund documents are produced you need to ensure they go to the correct platforms and stakeholders without delay. Some document automation software services will include the ability to set up document distribution channels to ensure automatic distribution as soon as a final version of a document is approved. This makes things much easier for you as a fund marketer and will save you precious time.